A chubby white baby was sleeping in a cradle on the bed. Shen Huaixu had seen newborn babies in the village before, but none of them looked as good as his eldest nephew.
Qian Xiuzhu was not a harsh mother-in-law to her daughter-in-law. As life gradually got better, Zheng Li'niang never skimped on food during her pregnancy.
She reached out and pinched her eldest nephew's chubby cheeks. The doll on the bed turned its smart black eyes and looked at Shen Huaixu, grinning at the sight.
The child's name was given by Jiang Boliang, Jiang Yu.
Shen Huaixu also laughed. When she heard someone enter the room, she thought it was Zheng Li Niang. "Sister-in-law, do you think he likes me? Why does he smile when he sees me?"
"He's usually a little shy, but when he smiles at you, it seems like he really likes you."
It wasn't Zheng Li Niang's voice. Shen Huaixu turned her head and stood up in surprise when she saw the person coming. "Second brother, when did you come back from school?"
Jiang Erlang had grown taller. Shen Huaixu walked up to him and then took a step back. She couldn't stand always looking up at people.
"I heard you were back last night, but it was a pity I couldn't make it back." Jiang Erlang's eyes were filled with a gentle smile.
"I was planning to have my third brother secretly take me to your county school to take a look, but I didn't expect you to be so well-informed."
As they were talking, Jiang Xiaoyu, perhaps because he felt that he was being ignored, burst into tears. Chen Huaixu could handle naughty children, but he had no way to deal with Jiang Xiaoyu. The two of them had no choice but to call Zheng Li'niang over.
After handing the child over to his mother, the two went to the place where Jiang Erlang usually studied.
She picked up a piece of paper on the table and took a look. "This looks like my brother's handwriting?"
"Yes." Jiang Erlang nodded. "Big brother also studies in his free time. However, as the eldest son in the family, he has to worry about many things. He is usually very busy and can't rest easy."
"I heard from my father that the land at home has been cleared and we can plant crops in the spring of next year. There are 20 to 30 acres of land. It will be tiring. If we have enough money, we might as well hire someone to do the farming."
A helpless look crossed Jiang Erlang's face. "It's not that I haven't mentioned it before, but you know my father's temper. He always thinks that hiring people to do everything at home is too ostentatious and a waste of money."
Chen Huaixu smiled and said, "If Dad can't persuade me, then go find Mom. Anyway, Dad will listen to whatever Mom says."
The two talked about family matters again, and Jiang Erlang couldn't help asking, "How are you in the capital?"
Chen Huaixu was puzzled. "It's pretty good. Dad and the others should have told me about it."
"I did." Jiang Erlang said slowly, "But I didn't hear you say it yourself, so I feel uneasy."
After a moment's thought, Shen Huaixu understood the crux of the matter. "It's impossible for an emperor to be completely devoid of suspicion. Otherwise, how could there be the saying 'serving the emperor is like serving a tiger'? Our emperor is also suspicious, but compared to the historical events I've shown you, his suspicions are not that severe."
After hearing Shen Huaixu say this with his own ears, the worry hidden in Jiang Erlang's heart gradually dissipated.
Lord Shen had no support in the court, and he wanted to be that support, so he had been working day and night these days, forgetting to eat and sleep, and even skipping the rare trip to the capital in July, just for next year's provincial examination.
He knew that even if he passed the palace examination and made it into the top three, he could only rise step by step from the bottom. But as long as he entered the officialdom, he could protect his family and become Ah Xu's backup plan.
"Second brother? Second brother?" Shen Huaixu raised her hand and waved it in front of Jiang Erlang's eyes. Seeing that Jiang Erlang had come to his senses, she asked, "What are you thinking about so intently?"
The ambition in his eyes disappeared the moment he raised his eyes, his brows relaxed, "I'm thinking about next year's provincial examination..."
"Speaking of the provincial examination, I've asked someone to collect a lot of essays from previous years. You can take a look at them when you're free. I'll have Xiaoman bring them to you..."
With that, Shen Huaixu trotted out of the house.
Jiang Erlang curled the corners of his lips when he saw the person who was still in front of him disappear in a flash.
His appearance was clearly seen by Fu Yin in the space. Fu Yin shook the plum wine in the goblet, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
When he was still in the Fu Tuan, he didn't pay much attention to Jiang Erlang. To him at that time, except for the host, everyone else was just a row of data.
During these days, he read many human books and learned a lot about the word "love" that humans often talk about.
He always felt that Jiang Erlang's attitude towards Shen Huaixu was different from his attitude towards other people in the family.
Because the Feiyuan clan is naturally aloof, it is rare to see them in pairs, so their population is small. However, if they meet someone they like, they will definitely be devoted to that person.
His previous understanding of emotions only existed in Amu's fragmentary narration, and his current reading volume could not support him in analyzing Jiang Erlang's complex emotions.
After thinking for a while, he decided to ask Shen Huaixu.
In the capital, Yi Zishu and Shen Su were dragged by their colleagues into Yanchun Pavilion, a famous brothel in the capital.
Yi Zishu never liked coming to such places, but he had just been forced to drink a lot of wine in the restaurant and was dragged here in a daze.
After arriving at the place, he was surrounded by the singing of birds and the dancing of girls. He didn't know where to look after hearing the sweet voices of girls. He made excuses several times that he wanted to go home, but was stopped every time. He had no choice but to sit there alone and drink.
Looking around, he saw that the other two adults were surrounded by women, some pouring wine, others serving food, openly enjoying themselves. Only he and Shen Su were without anyone around them.
He said happily, "Chen Huizhi, I heard that when you were still ill, you often visited a restaurant in Huaizhou. There are more beauties in that restaurant than in other brothels. Why are you so reserved now?"
"I didn't expect Lord Shen to have such a romantic affair? He hid it so well that I, Fan, have never heard of it."
Chen Su didn't even touch the wine on the table. He just closed his eyes slightly, with a slightly tired look on his face.
He said calmly, "I was once homeless, so what's so strange about using a restaurant as my home? You gentlemen are making too much of a fuss."
The corner of Master Fan's mouth twitched, somewhat impressed by Chen Su's ability to speak freely. Who didn't know that Chen Su had a mansion in Huaizhou and the capital, each rewarded by His Majesty? How could he be homeless?
If he didn't have a request for Chen Su, he really didn't want to see Chen Su's face.
"Lord Shen, don't you like these vulgar women?" He continued, "A beautiful woman from Jiangnan has recently arrived at Yanchun Pavilion. She is both talented and beautiful. How about letting her come and serve Lord Shen?"
Chen Su wanted to refuse, but suddenly his eyelashes opened slightly. He had heard from his daughter before that there was a woman named Hua Rong'er who was a little strange. Later, a woman came to see him three times, but he never showed up.
Now that he had this opportunity, he suddenly wanted to see if this Jiangnan beauty was Hua Rong'er, and he also wanted to see what this person's intentions were.
"What is the woman's name?" he asked.
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